All of You
by not quite here just now
Summary: After finishing veterinary school, Ana is excited to land a job at the Philadelphia Zoo. There she meets Kevin, the gorgeous, somewhat moody maintenance man.
1. Prologue

Kevin felt beads of sweat trickle down his back and forehead as he mended yet another hole in the savannah exhibit fence. The giraffe occupants had been moved to a holding pen, for fear that they might stick their heads through the slowly expanding fissure. He was careful not to move his lips as he internally argued with Barry. He really didn't need to be seen talking to himself.

"Come on!" Barry whined, "we never get to go out and do anything fun."

"No," replied Kevin, knowing he would lose this battle eventually, "you know crowds and noise and drunk people aren't my thing." Kevin had met Mrs. Ellington, who was retiring from zoo-keeping after 30 years, a total of five times over his four years at the Philadelphia zoo, and thus had little interest in attending her retirement party bar crawl.

"Dude, you need to get out and socialize. This whole loner thing you have going on can't be healthy." Barry continued.

"Fine. I'll think about it." Kevin relented.

"Awesome!" Barry exclaimed triumphantly. "I wonder if Ana will be there."

Ana was the zoo's newest vet, who had started working at the zoo the year before. Barry had introduced himself immediately, as Kevin of course, because they really didn't need every random co-worker knowing their entire mental health history. Kevin, however, had taken three months to gather the courage to speak to the woman himself, and had had trouble thinking of much else for the rest of that day.

"Hi, I'm Kevin." Kevin had begun, forgetting that Barry had already introduced him.

"Yeah, we've met," Ana had responded, confused.

"Oh right, sorry," Kevin had responded awkwardly, his face heating. He could feel Barry snickering at him. "How's Uma?" he continued, desperate to change the subject to anything, even a pregnant rhinoceros.

"She's still got a few weeks left. Everything looks good though. Fingers crossed, we'll have a healthy new baby rhino next month."

"That's great. Well, I'd better get to the leaking pipe at concessions," Kevin had trailed off.

"Good luck." Ana had said before heading off in the opposite direction.

"You like her," Barry had teased.

"She's alright," Kevin had replied, trying not to admit his attraction to her.

"Dude, we share eyeballs. I know when you look at her," Barry had rebutted. "So… you should ask her out."

"Not happening!" Kevin had responded, mortified. "As soon as she finds out about us, she'll run screaming the other way. Better she not notice us at all."

"So you can continue to stare at her backside when she's not looking, you mean? Fine, have it your way. Go on living your lonely, boring life, and never have any fun," Barry had relented melodramatically.

Kevin and company had been with a few girls since moving out on his own, but it had never lasted longer than the amount of time it took one of them to utter the words "I'll call you" on their way out the door. Kevin had spent most of his young life thinking he didn't deserve anything more. With the persistent encouragement of Dr. Fletcher, he was starting to let himself believe that wasn't the case, but he still thought their was no way anyone would stick around after learning how much of Kevin there was. When he thought about it, he realized he was more afraid of what they would have to deal with, and what they might find out, if they did stick around.

After he finished tightening the last bolt affixing the new section of fence to its post, Kevin straightened his back, stretching as he did so, and thought he saw someone looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw Ana heading quickly toward the snow leopard exhibit. He thought he might smile if he caught her eye, but she was looking straight ahead, intent on her destination.


	2. The Arrest

As Ana drove to work Wednesday morning, she mentally went over the events of the past month for what seemed like the thousandth time. After noticing that Simon was unhappy in his new foster home, she had spent every Sunday trying to get him or his older brother Dustin alone. She knew that the kids had had a rough year, but Simon was usually so outgoing, it seemed as if something might be wrong in their new home. Collette, their new foster mother, wasn't letting them out of her sight, however, so she had decided to switch tactics.

"Collette," she had said to the woman between Sunday school and church service just three days prior. "Why don't you let the boys come stay with me some time? I have missed them so much, and you and David could have an evening to yourselves."

"Sure, we could do that sometime," Collette had responded in a tone of false politeness that let Ana know it wasn't likely to happen.

"They're welcome to stay with me as long as they like, anytime," Ana responded, not letting this go.

The boys in question had arrived in the sanctuary just then, Simon walking up to Ana as if he wanted a hug before hesitating at the last minute after a look from Collette. Dustin, looking, as always, as if he would rather be anywhere else, mumbled a grudging "yes ma'am" to an order Collette had barked under her breath, before guiding Simon to sit on the side of him opposite their foster mother as the service began.

Ana had trouble paying attention during the sermon, her eyes constantly drifting over to Colette and the boys. She found herself counting the minutes until noon, when she might get another shot at figuring out if something was the matter.

As the congregation was filling out after the service, Ana saw a chance to approach Simon as Collette was pinned down in a conversation with three older ladies about the virtues of various methods of cooking a pot roast.

"Simon," she began as she lowered herself to eye level with the eight-year-old, "is everything okay at your new house?"

Simon glanced over at Colette, and Ana thought she saw apprehension there, though she guessed she could have been mistaken. Then Simon slowly shook his head.

A lump of ice formed in Ana's stomach as her mind began to supply all of the worst things she had ever encountered in her time as a foster parent, as well as what she had heard growing up in her parents' house with a revolving door of foster siblings.  
"What's wrong?" Ana asked, trying to seem encouraging while internally dreading whatever Simon was about to reveal.

"Well," continued Simon, glancing over at Collette every few seconds to make sure she wouldn't overhear, "she thinks everything we do is bad, and she's mad at Dustin all the time."

"What does she do?" asked Ana, not looking at Collette herself for fear of drawing her attention.

"She always whips Dustin, even when I do stuff 'cause he wont let her get me, and she locks us in our room for hours sometimes."

Ana knew that spanking foster children was against their state's policy, but she also knew that it was damn hard to prove unless Collette was leaving marks.

"Can we come live with you again Miss Ana?" Simon asked, and Ana's heart broke just a little bit more.

"I wish you could baby," Ana said, "but only your social worker can decide that. Have you told her about any of this?"

"No," said Simon, "we haven't seen her since the week after she dropped us off there."  
Ana knew that social services in her county were understaffed and under-funded, but she would be damned if her boys were the ones to slip through the cracks.

Just then Collette managed to excuse herself from the inane conversation, which had drifted into the territory of turkey-roasting. "Simon," she said, "tell Miss Ana goodbye now."

"Goodbye Miss Ana," Simon had said, a look of defeat on his face.

That night Ana had typed up an account of the conversation with Simon and emailed it to his and Dustin's social worker. She had also left a voice mail asking that the woman call her first thing the next morning.

Ana had yet to obtain a response on Tuesday evening when she got a call from an unknown number. "Hello?" she inquired after hitting the answer button.

"Miss Ana," she heard Dustin's agitated voice on the other end. "Please get us out of here!" she heard over distant screaming and what distinctly sounded like a leather belt connecting with flesh. She heard Collette's voice then.

"You better not be on the phone! Who are you talking to?" she heard as the voice got closer before the line suddenly disconnected.

Ana knew then that she needed to act quickly. Dustin had been caught contacting her, and she knew that would only make Collette angrier. She also knew that Dustin didn't trust any adult, and for him to call her he must have thought Simon was in real danger.

As she ran to her car she dialed the boys' social worker for the hundredth time and was sent to voice mail yet again. She didn't care if what the woman heard when she finally checked her voice mail sounded like incoherent panic, because that was how she felt. She remembered then that she didn't know exactly where they lived, and rushed back into the kitchen. As she rifled through drawers for the church directory, she continued to dial their social worker's work cell over and over, hanging up and dialing again each time it went to voice mail.

Finding their address, Ana raced to her car and sped toward the house, abandoning the hope of contacting their social worker, and realizing she would have to take matters into her own hands.

Arriving at Collette's house, she ran straight up to the front door and knocked, restraining herself from beating loudly on the door in the hope that Collette would answer before realizing what it was about. She registered then that she didn't hear any sound from inside the house, and her fear began to escalate. She was just about to knock a second time when Collette opened the door.

"Where are they?" Ana demanded, practically knocking into Collette as she positioned herself in the doorway so that she couldn't be locked out.

"Up in their rooms doing their homework, of course," Collette said in a voice that was just a bit too high-pitched for the casual air she was feigning. "Now isn't the best time, Ana. You'll have to visit them another day."

A sense of inferiority nudged at the back of Ana's mind then as she looked up at the tall woman who was at least ten years her senior. Then, remembering the phone call a half hour earlier, she barged in to Collette's living room, asking again "Where are they?"

"Ana, this is most inappropriate; I must ask you to leave!" Collette insisted. Ana trudged on into the hallway, opening every door she passed despite Collette's attempts to physically block her. Upon opening the third door, her eyes fell on the sight she had been dreading. Simon was curled up in a ball on the bed sobbing hysterically. As he saw the door open, Dustin moved to position himself between his brother and the door. He wore a determined expression, but the tear tracks from earlier were still evident on his cheeks.

"Dustin," Ana ordered with more force than she meant to, "help your brother into my car." She turned then and stared at Collette, unspokenly daring her to call the police. After what she had heard, she knew there would be visible signs on at least Simon, and that if she had them examined tonight, there was no chance of Collette refuting what had happened. She followed the boys to the car and drove off, dialing her friend Caleb, a pediatric resident at the local hospital, as she drove.

"Caleb," she started, relieved he had answered, "Are you at the hospital?"

"Yes…?" Caleb responded warily.

"I'm bringing two kids in now. One is covered in bruises and welts and barely responsive. The other is in better shape, but needs to be looked over. I've been trying to get social services, but can't get an answer."

"I'll let the ER staff know they're coming and see if they can get a bed ready. As for social services, when they get here the hospital will contact them. They tend to pick up when we call," said Caleb.

"Thank you Caleb. We're on our way," Ana responded before ending the call.  
Upon arriving at the hospital, Ana rushed the boys in and, after the triage nurse observed Simon's condition, the three were escorted through the double-doors and into an examination room. The nurse was just beginning to question whether Ana was their guardian when Caleb arrived. With difficulty, Ana managed to get Dustin to come back to the waiting area with her while Caleb examined Simon. Caleb then called them back in and saw to Dustin's few injuries, none of which were serious, but which would need to be documented as evidence against Collette.

"Dustin can go home tonight as soon as social services tells us where that is," said Caleb, "but Simon will have to stay the night."

They waited another hour for social services to arrive. After a heated discussion between Ana and the social worker on-scene, it was decided that Dustin would be staying the night with Ana, as it was now quite late, and that someone from Social Services would pick Dustin up tomorrow to take him to a more long-term placement.

Ana had dropped Dustin off at school that morning not knowing when she would see him again. She kept trying to figure out what she could have done differently to prevent all of this, but was still coming up blank.

Arriving at the zoo's employee entrance, Ana's thoughts kept drifting to her boys. A text from Caleb earlier that morning had reassured her that Simon would be alright, physically at least. She wouldn't know for several more hours where the boys would be placed, and this dread kept creeping into her thoughts as she checked the charts Patrick, the vet from the previous shift, had left. She made her way across the zoo to check on Arnold the snow leopard, who had begun refusing food the previous evening. As she made her way across the zoo, Ana spied Kevin, the maintenance guy on whom she had secretly been crushing since her first week there. He was repairing a hole in the fence of the giraffe exhibit. Ana admired the way Kevin's work shirt stretched over his well-muscled back as he worked. Just as her eyes began to drift lower, he put down the tool he was using, putting an end to her ogling. She looked away as he straightened up, hoping she had been quick enough that he hadn't seen her as he turned his head. Her face heating, Ana looked straight ahead, perhaps a little too intently, as she crossed the park to her patient a bit faster than was strictly necessary. Arnold seemed to be feeling unwell, and Ana moved him to a holding cage where she could more closely monitor his water intake and elimination.

After doing rounds and finding all of the other animals healthy, Ana stopped by the locker room to grab a drink and check her messages. She had a long, angry email from Simon and Dustin's social worker, detailing how many policies Ana had violated by taking the boys without permission. Knowing she hadn't exactly done things by-the-book the previous night, Ana thought it best to forward this email to her foster agency contact, whom she had sent a report of the evening's events before going to bed. Ana normally considered herself a law-abiding citizen, but knew she would commit as many felonies as she needed to to keep her children safe. She wondered then if she would be charged with anything, and tried to remember if having a criminal record was grounds for termination at the zoo. That thought brought on a stream of anxieties. What would she do if she lost her job? Would she ever get to practice veterinary medicine again? How would she pay off her massive student loans? Soon Ana was in full-blown panic mode, and could barely spare a thought to be grateful that no one else was in the locker room to see her, as she began to hyperventilate.

A few minutes later, Ana was finally managing to gather herself when she heard footsteps coming up the service corridor. Quickly wiping her face on her sleeve and praying she didn't have mascara tracks, Ana looked up just as Kevin entered the locker room.

"Oh. Hi," she said, her voice a few octaves too high.

"Hey," Kevin greeted, "you okay there?"

"Fine!" Ana replied, still too high pitched to be convincing.

"You don't seem fine," Kevin pressed, his eyebrows drawing together.

"Just… stuff with my kids," Ana replied, aware that she was probably over-sharing.

"I'd better go check on Arnold," she said, turning and walking swiftly out of the locker room before Kevin could reply.

Arnold's condition was worsening. He couldn't seem to keep water down, and Ana sedated him for x-rays. She found what she had dreaded: A gastrointestinal blockage. She called her supervisor, and requested help moving the animal to an operating room to remove the obstruction. Once in the OR, Ana began by sending an endoscope down the leopard's throat to visualize the blockage, and see if it could be retrieved without cutting the animal's stomach open. Luck was not on her side today, however, as the mass seemed to be composed of hair, undigested food, and what looked suspiciously like a pair of underwear.  
"Sick people," Ana lamented under her breath as she retrieved the clippers to shave the cat's stomach before disinfecting the area.

Ana was able to successfully remove the obstruction, and was just finishing the internal stitches when she heard multiple sets of footsteps entering the operating room. Her supervisor, Rachel, seemed to be arguing with someone as they entered.

"You can't go in there, she's in surgery," Rachel insisted, sounding flustered.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid we have to speak with Miss Carmichael immediately," replied a voice Ana didn't recognize. A lump of ice formed in Ana's stomach as she realized that the men accompanying her boss were police officers.

"Stop!" Rachel continued to protest. "You'll contaminate the operating room."

Refusing to so much as pause, the officers barged in as if they owned the place. "Miss Carmichael, we are here to place you under arrest," one of the officers demanded.

"That won't be possible until I've finished closing," Ana responded, willing her hands not to shake as she began the external stitches on the big cat's abdomen.

"Sir, I'm going to have to insist that you let her finish," Rachel interjected before the officer could respond. "If you interrupt a surgery on an endangered species, you'll have your own share of legal trouble, not to mention a several-hundred-thousand-dollar law suit from the Philadelphia Zoo."

"Fine. Hurry it up," the officer said impatiently. Rachel had by this point resorted to bodily blocking the officers from advancing any closer.

Ana, forcing herself to remain composed while she finished stitching up the big cat, delivered the cat's post-op instructions to her boss as concisely as possible.

"Analise Carmichael," the officer began, "you are under arrest for breaking and entering. Anything you say can be held against you in a court of law…"

A small crowd gathered as Ana was led out to a patrol car in hand cuffs. Nearly all of Ana's co-workers, including, to Ana's further mortification, Kevin the attractive maintenance guy, looked on as Ana was shoved into the back seat. As the car drove off, Ana contemplated the likely end of her very short, not-yet-paid-for, veterinary career.


	3. Aftermath

After long negotiations with Kevin, Barry entered the bar at which the retirement party was to start, determined to have a good time. Kevin initially hadn't wanted to come at all. He had finally agreed to make an appearance at only the first bar, only if Barry fronted the entire time, and only because he NEEDED to know what had happened to Ana. Barry was fashionably late, as planned, and made his way over to the guest of honor to say his congratulations.

"Happy retiring Mrs. E." Barry greeted.

"Why thank you Kevin."

"So, what's next?" asked Barry.

"Selling my house, buying an RV, and traveling the country with my husband. He retires in three months."

"That's awesome!" exclaimed Barry, genuinely happy for the older woman.

They were then joined in the conversation by Rachel, the supervisor in charge of animal care. "Congratulations Mary," said Rachel to Mrs. Ellington.

"Thank you Rachel," replied Mrs. Ellington. "I've had a very interesting last day. If you don't mind my asking, what was all of the ruckus with the police this afternoon?"

Barry's ears perked up at this. Kevin had forbidden him from asking questions about Ana's arrest directly, afraid people would think he was a creep.

"I'm still not sure myself," replied Rachel. "All I know is that Dr. Carmichael has some serious explaining to do."

 _This is bad_ , Barry heard Kevin think then, _Rachel never calls anyone by their last name._  
"Has anyone heard from her?" asked Barry, figuring that since the subject had already been broached, he was in the clear.

"I certainly haven't," replied Rachel, irritation evident. "I don't know when or if she's coming back, and we can't afford to be short a vet right now. They tried to take her out in the middle of surgery. They did at least let her close, but I had to call Dr. Miller in early to make sure the snow leopard woke up. Speaking of being short a vet…" Rachel trailed off, making eye contact with Patrick and waving him over to their circle.

"I already know what you're going to ask," Patrick began at Rachel, looking dejected.

"Dr. Miller has agreed to work until midnight, if you will come in then and stay until Cara gets back from the beach," replied Rachel. Cara, the fourth of the zoo's vets, had Wednesday and Thursday off, and had gone to the beach for her 'weekend'.

"You know I'm no good with the guests," Patrick said, reminding Rachel of the reason he had been relegated to the night shift in the first place.

"It's the morning shift on a weekday," rebutted Rachel. "There'll be hardly anyone there. Just try not to make anymore little girls cry."

"She was trying to feed the giraffes cotton candy!" Patrick protested.

Kevin had witnessed Ana encounter a similar situation a month prior, except the child was throwing nachos to the flamingos. He had thought it rather endearing when Ana squatted down to the little boy's level and explained that flamingos could only eat shrimp, and that nachos would give them a "tummy ache".

Mrs. Ellington then excused herself to join a group of her fellow zookeepers. Barry stayed, despite wondering if he was now intruding. After all, Kevin had only agreed to come to this party to find out more about what had happened to Ana, and his two prime sources were right in front of him.

"So what happened to Ana anyway?" Patrick asked.

"She got arrested. While in surgery, no less," Rachel filled Patrick in, exasperated.

"Whoa, Ana? What did she do?"

"I don't think anybody knows anything, but it better be good," replied Rachel.

Barry then felt the need to contribute to the conversation. "She seemed pretty upset in the locker room earlier. I think it might have had something to do with her kids," he volunteered, hoping for Ana's sake there was a justifiable explanation.

"Ana would kill for those kids; here's hoping she didn't," Patrick said, raising his nearly-empty glass before draining it.

Barry then wondered about Ana having children. She didn't wear rings, and he wondered if their father was in the picture. Barry tried to think of a casual way to ask about this, but Rachel's next comment eliminated the need.

"I don't know of anyone else who would graduate from vet school and immediately start taking care of other people's children, and by herself no less," Rachel said, and Barry noted that Rachel sounded warmer toward Ana than she had a few minutes ago. Kevin, who had been listening intently the whole time, was quite happy to learn that Ana was single.

"The woman's a saint," continued Patrick. "She once took in a three-week-old on like, two hours' notice."

"So, is she like, a foster parent or something?" Barry asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, she does emergency placements," Patrick replied. "She told me she's never gotten more than a day's notice before social services showed up with a kid. I don't know how she does it."

"I don't know why she does it," Rachel continued. "That twelve-year-old she had a month ago would have driven me up the wall, wouldn't speak a word to anyone. I didn't think she had any children right now though."

"Well, you know once she's had them in her home, they're 'her kids,'" commented Patrick.

"What has that girl gotten herself into?" Rachel mused, more to herself than anyone else.

The crowd around Mrs. Ellington was cheering now, and someone shouted out the name of the next destination for the evening. The party began to disperse. Honoring his agreement with Kevin, Barry made his excuses and headed to his car.

* * *

It was nearly seven in the evening when Ana's sister, Evelyn, finally arrived to post her bail. Ana was set to appear back in court in three weeks. Upon seeing her sister, Ana's first words were "You will NOT tell Mom and Dad about this."

"No 'thank you sis?'" Evelyn replied.

"Thank you wonderful sister of mine," said Ana. "Now take me home so I can shower."  
Despite having removed her surgical gear upon arrival at the county jail, Ana still felt as if she were covered in bodily fluids, having not been allowed to so much as wash her hands before being shoved into the back of a police car.

As her sister drove away after dropping her off at home, Ana realized her key was still in her bag, which was in her locker at work. She wondered again if she would even be allowed back on the premises to retrieve her things. Dismissing that thought, she squeezed behind the bush that concealed the Hide-a-Key, only to find it open and empty. Checking her phone then, she saw that she had three missed calls and a voicemail from Simon and Dustin's social worker, as well as a text from Dustin that read: "Where R U?".  
She knocked on the door then, figuring that her missing key meant Dustin had let himself in.

"Could you put the key back in the box?" Ana asked sweetly as he opened the door. Sulking, Dustin picked up the key off the kitchen counter and went outside to put it back in its proper place.

Entering the kitchen, she played back the voicemail from the social worker. "Ana, this is Cecilia Henkleton from Child Protective Services. I've been assigned to Simon and Dustin's case, but I'm afraid I won't be able to pick Dustin up from school today, as I can't find a place to put him tonight. The only home we have open for emergency placement right now is yours, and since he's already there…" she had trailed off for a moment. "I should be able to check Simon out of the hospital later this afternoon. Should I plan on bringing him to you then? Let me know."

As she looked at her phone to return the woman's call, Ana noticed the cat food bowls out of the corner of her eye. She smiled then, seeing that Dustin had refilled them. He never did anything that could be construed as helpful when she or, as far as she knew, any other adult was around, but it seemed his aversion to chores might be more for appearance's sake.  
 _That or he just wanted the cats to stop bugging him_ , Ana thought to herself. She then pressed the call button, and miracle of miracles, the new social worker actually answered on the third ring.

"Hello," Cecilia greeted, preoccupied.

"Ms. Henkleton, this is Ana Carmichael," Ana greeted. "I've just gotten home. Is Simon still in the hospital?"

"Ana, thank goodness! Where have you been? I've been trying to get hold of you since three."

"That is a very long story," said Ana.

"I checked Simon out of the hospital an hour ago. I couldn't reach you, so we're getting dinner now. Can I bring him to your house when we're done?"

"Of course," Ana replied.

"Great! We'll see you in about half an hour," Cecilia began to sign off then, but was interrupted by Simon.

"Wait! I wanna talk to Miss Ana," Simon whined.

"Simon would like to speak with you," said Cecilia, attempting seriousness while looking at the child's ice cream mustache.

She handed Simon the phone then, and Ana was greeted by an apprehensive voice. "Miss Ana, can I come live with you?" Simon requested.

"You can stay with me as long as you need to," Ana replied, trying not to tear up.

"Can I talk to Dustin?"

"Sure kiddo, he's right here," Ana responded, handing the phone to Dustin.  
Dustin took Ana's phone into the living room, and Ana decided it was best to give them their privacy.

Ana then decided she should let her boss, Rachel, know that she was able to come in the next day if she still had a job. She opened her laptop and started a new email. Staring at the blinking cursor, she couldn't figure out what she should say.

Hi Rachel,  
Just thought I'd let you know that I'm out of jail. Should I come in to work tomorrow?

She backspaced this immediately, along with three more equally terrible messages, before shutting her laptop in frustration. Deciding she would deal with it later, she retrieved her phone from the living room where Dustin had set it down before retreating to the guest room. She then texted her sister, asking if there was any possible way she might be able to get a ride to work tomorrow morning.

She heard a car pull up then, and went to the door to greet Simon and Cecilia. Dustin came down then and helped Simon, who was walking with some difficulty, upstairs to the guest room. Cecilia greeted Ana warmly, but Ana could hear the fatigue in the woman's voice.

"Here are his medications," Cecilia began, handing Ana a paper pharmacy bag with sheets of instructions stapled to it. "We'll try to find them a long-term placement as soon as possible…"

Ana cut the woman off then. "They can stay here as long as they need to. After their last placement I would rather not let them out of my sight just now."

"Very well," replied Cecilia. "We'll worry about that later."  
Cecilia said her goodbyes, and Ana turned her attention to the two children occupying her guest room. Peeking her head into the room, she asked Dustin if he had eaten dinner yet.

"Yeah. You're out of pizza rolls," was Dustin's reply.

Ana smiled, remembering that there had been half a bag left the previous evening. It never ceased to amaze her how much food the preteen could put away without ever gaining an ounce. She left them then, returning shortly with Simon's medications and a bottle of water. He took the pills without too much protest, and she left the boys to their own devices for the night, telling them to call her if they needed anything.

At 1:30 AM, Ana lay in bed unable to sleep. Her worries about her job, and about the kids across the hall, jumbled together into half-dreams that left her feeling dizzy and anxious every time she was jarred awake after nearly dozing off. She heard a commotion from the boys' room and got up to check on them. Cracking the door, she saw that Dustin was attempting to wake Simon from a nightmare. She rushed in and knelt next to the bed, talking in a calming voice.

"Simon, it's okay. It's just a dream. You're safe now. Nobody's going to hurt you anymore," she shushed, petting the boy's hair.

The boy woke up then, looking confused. Without speaking, he grabbed onto his older brother, who for Ana's sake tried to look reluctant as he climbed into bed next to the younger boy, wrapping an arm around him. Ana left them then and resumed her futile attempts to sleep. She was unsure if she had slept at all when her alarm went off at 5 AM.


	4. Lunch

The morning was not going well for Ana. Having gotten maybe fifteen minutes of sleep, she dragged herself out of bed at 5 AM. She poked her head in the boys' room, and, to her relief, they were both fast asleep. Before hopping in the shower, she texted the babysitter she had arranged for Simon to confirm that she would be there before Ana had to leave for work. After she showered, got dressed, and woke Dustin, she texted the woman a second time. "Where are you?"

With her makeup done and five minutes remaining before she had to leave, she called her sister in frustration. "Evelyn, I don't know what to do. Simon's sitter hasn't shown up yet, and my only hope of not losing my job requires that I actually show up on time."

"Sis, calm down. We've got this."

"I can't leave Simon here by himself. The bus will be here for Dustin in twenty minutes, and I need to leave in like, ten!" Ana panicked.

"So…. go get Simon up. He can ride with us while I drop you off, and I'll stay with him until the sitter gets here," Evelyn said, as if this were obvious.

"And this is why I need you in my life, sister," said Ana. "You're always logical when I'm losing my mind."

Once Evelyn had dropped her off at the zoo entrance, Ana strode purposefully toward Rachel's office, determined not to notice if anyone was staring at her. She could not afford to lose her nerve for this conversation.

* * *

Checking his email upon arriving at work, Kevin saw that he had a work order for the admin office air conditioning, reading:  
"Office air conditioning is out."

 _Thanks for being so specific_ , thought Kevin as he got up from the shared computer and made his way toward the main office building.

After walking through the offices and discovering that no air was blowing to the west end of the building, Kevin suspected the problem was with the ductwork, not the air conditioning unit itself. After retrieving a ladder, Kevin began the tedious process of climbing the ladder, removing a ceiling tile, shining a flashlight down the sides of the ductwork as far as he could see, replacing the tile, moving the ladder, and repeating the process. Opening a ceiling vent to inspect the inside of the ductwork, Kevin began picking up bits of a conversation.

"This had better be good," Rachel said, irritated.

"So, about yesterday…" was Ana's reply.

Kevin's ears perked up at this, and he could feel several of his headmates crowd around to peek into the light. A unanimous decision had been made; they were eavesdropping.

"Breaking and entering, was it?" Rachel questioned, angry.

"Yes," Ana said, sounding repentant.

"Care to explain that?" Rachel pressed.

"The short version," Ana began, "is that my kids were in danger, and I sort of took matters into my own hands."

"I'm listening."

"Dustin called me Tuesday evening, begging me to come get them. I could hear Simon screaming in the background, along with other sounds I don't care to describe. The bitch- sorry- she caught Dustin on the phone with me, and the line went dead. I couldn't leave them there. So I sort of barged into her house and… took them," Ana finished, timidly.

"You kidnapped them?" Rachel asked, incredulous.

"I wish I had done it sooner. Both boys are purple from shoulders to knees."

Kevin flinched at this, remembering how much time he had spent in a similar state growing up. Barry offered to come forward, also curious to know what had transpired, but Kevin steeled himself and listened on.

"They're staying with me now," Ana continued, and Kevin thought he must not have missed much of the conversation.

After a long pause in which neither of them spoke, Ana inquired, "So… do I still have a job?"

"Ana," Rachel replied, exasperated, "go check on your patient."

"Thank you," responded Ana, relieved.

Kevin then decided he should get back to finding the mystery duct blockage, and replaced the vent cover before descending the ladder.

* * *

Consulting with Patrick, Ana found that Arnold had been able to keep water down since around 2 AM, but had yet to eat any food.

"Cara's gonna be piiiissed!" Patrick taunted Ana before filling her in on the staff arrangements that had been made in her absence.

"Great, that's really what I need right now," said Ana, mostly to herself. Patrick had headed home then, leaving Ana with the ailing leopard.

As she made her way around the zoo, checking on the other animals, Ana could feel the staffs' eyes on her. Anytime she walked by two of her co-workers chatting, they would stop talking when she got near. _Way to be obvious about it_ , she thought.

Feeling her phone buzz, she looked down to see an irate text message from Cara, complaining that the woman had left her beach trip and rushed home, only to be informed that Ana was in fact here, and that her departure had been unnecessary. Ana began to type an apology, but was interrupted as more texts streamed in. Ana liked Cara, and the thought of the other woman being so angry with her made anxiety crawl into her chest and begin to curl around the inside of her rib cage like one of the boa constrictors she tended. Needing to get away from all of the prying eyes, Ana made her way toward the basement locker room, where she hoped she wouldn't run into anyone.

* * *

Having found and repaired the collapsed section of air duct, Kevin made his way back to the maintenance office under the zoo to check the next work order. He arrived to find the shared computer occupied by a fellow maintenance guy. Not wanting to stand over his co-worker while he waited, Kevin paced toward the locker room. Rounding the corner, he noticed Ana sitting on one of the benches, slouched over with her head in her hands.

"Hey there," he greeted, not wanting to startle her.

Jumping slightly at the unexpected presence, Ana quickly recovered. "Hi. We meet again."

"Seems that way," chuckled Kevin. "What are you up to?"

"Hiding," Ana admitted meekly. "I think I'm the talk of the town today."

"It'll blow over in a few days," replied Kevin, sitting down next to her. "They're all just curious."

Kevin felt a twinge of guilt for having overheard the details of Ana's arrest, and thought he would need to think of a tactful way of getting her to 'fill him in'.

"I don't know how many times today I've heard people whispering the words 'breaking and entering' when they thought I wasn't in earshot," said Ana, sounding exhausted.

"Ask her to lunch," Kevin heard Jade suggest then. "She really looks like she could use a friend right about now."

Willing himself not to let his nerves show, Kevin heeded Jade's advice. "So, I'm off for lunch in an hour. Wanna get out of here for a while?" Kevin asked, trying to sound casual.

"As long as there's coffee, I'm in," replied Ana. "This is what fifteen minutes of sleep looks like," she said, gesturing at her face.

"Maybe I should let you take a nap instead?", Kevin questioned, worrying about Ana's ability to finish her shift in that condition. He had had his fair share of sleepless nights, but generally managed to get at least a few hours.

"No. If I go to sleep I'll be out like a rock," replied Ana. "Besides, I know you're just dying to hear all about my criminal activity," Ana teased. "See you in an hour?," she asked, beginning to get up from the bench.

"Looking forward to it," Kevin replied, before internally berating himself for sounding too eager. He turned then and headed back to the maintenance office and, seeing that he had five more work orders, selected the quickest of the five so that he would be free to meet Ana for lunch.

"Where are we headed?" asked Ana as she met Kevin near the zoo entrance.

"A little café just a couple blocks that way," Kevin replied, turning to his left and nodding in that direction.  
As they set out, Ana began to make small talk. "So, how long have you been working here?"

"Four years, give or take," responded Kevin. "You?"

"Just over a year."

"Wow. How'd you get off the graveyard shift so fast?" Kevin asked.

"Patrick," Ana began. "He's not exactly good with the field trip crowd. Last time he was on morning shift he made a first-grader cry."

"I think I remember hearing about that," Kevin said, recalling the previous night's conversation. "Something about feeding the giraffes?"

"Yeah," replied Ana. "His kid-handling skills leave something to be desired. Then again, I don't think he has any."

"How are your kids, by the way?" Kevin asked, referring to their brief conversation the previous day.

Ana let out a sigh then, and was silent for a moment before speaking. "This last week has been… a nightmare," she began, looking up at the sky so as not to let the tears fall. "I don't think I can ever let them out of my sight again."

Kevin started to put his hand on her shoulder, but thought better of it. Lowering his hand, he hoped she hadn't noticed.

They arrived at the café then, and were quickly seated. They placed their orders immediately, since they only had an hour.

"…and the biggest cup of coffee you have," Ana finished her order. The coffee was brought promptly, and Ana closed her eyes reverently as she took her first sip. "Wakey juice!" she said, more to herself than Kevin.

Kevin laughed, amused.

"So, I'm sure you're just dying to know what all the commotion with the police was about yesterday," Ana teased.

"You don't owe anyone an explanation," Kevin said, not wanting to upset the woman further. He was pretty sure that making her cry on their first… date?... would not bode well.

"It's okay. I'd rather people know the truth than start guessing. You know how the rumor mill works around this place."

Kevin was rarely in on the zoo 's gossip, but nodded anyway, wanting her to continue. Hearing Ana recount the details of the previous two nights again, Kevin was in awe. Growing up, he had assumed that all mothers were like his, and that they all thought of children as a burden and a pain in their side. Here in front of him, however, was this amazing woman, who was willing to do anything for the safety of children she had taken into her home by choice.

Their food arrived then, and Ana, having not eaten since breakfast the previous day, had to force herself to take ladylike bites.

"How did you get into this… foster parenting thing?" asked Kevin.

"My parents have done it since before I was born. My mom's parents did it before her, and my dad was adopted through foster care. I guess you could say it's a family tradition."

"Are they from around here?"

"My mom's family has been in Philadelphia for longer than anyone can remember. My dad is originally from Alabama. He came up here for his medical residency and decided to stay when he met my mom."

Thinking she had monopolized the conversation enough, Ana tried to steer it toward Kevin. "What about you? Where are you from?"

"A little town about half an hour outside of Boston," Kevin replied shortly. He didn't like talking about himself, particularly about his past, and he hoped this line of questioning didn't go too far.

"How'd you end up in Philadelphia?" Ana asked then.

The truthful answer, which Kevin could never give, was that he had moved here to be close to Dr. Fletcher. Kevin had spent the better part of seven years being bounced around between doctors and psychologists before being diagnosed with DID at age 25, and it had been another year before he found a therapist experienced in treating patients with his disorder.

This wasn't the first time; however, that Kevin had been asked this question, and he gave Ana his prepared response. "I needed to get out on my own, be independent. I like animals, and I saw the opening at the zoo, and it seemed like the perfect fit. What made you decide to be a vet?" he asked, steering the conversation back toward Ana.

"Well, I was supposed to be a doctor, like my dad," Ana began. "I was pre-med in undergrad, and signed up to take the MCAT and everything. Spring break of senior year, we were riding back from the beach, and we were in a car accident. One of my friends got cut up pretty bad. The ambulance took a while to get there, and, being the soon-to-be medical student, I was expected to help pick the glass off of her. I couldn't do it. Every time I picked at a piece of glass and it sort of unplugged the cut it had made, it would bleed more. Something about knowing that she could feel that, and that I was causing more pain… I just couldn't handle it. When I got back to school, I spent about three weeks having no clue what I was going to do with my life, before one of my roommates pointed out that I also met nearly all of the requirements for vet school. Turns out I only get excessive sympathy pain if I try to work on humans," Ana finished. She wanted to ask how Kevin decided to become a maintenance guy, but had no idea how to word the question and ultimately thought better of it.

The waitress arrived then with their check, and Kevin's headmates began arguing over how to handle payment.

"Don't women like to go Dutch nowadays?" Dennis asked.

"Don't listen to him; he's just being a cheapskate," Barry objected.

"Here's how it is," Jade began. "If you pay, she'll think it was a date. If you split it, she'll think it wasn't a date."

"What if she didn't want it to be a date? If we pay, that would make it weird," Dennis questioned.

"If a gentleman asks a lady out for a meal, the gentleman should pay," Patricia interjected.

Seeing that by this time Ana was reaching for her purse, Kevin quickly pulled out his wallet and placed his card on the receipt.

"I got it," he said, wanting to dispense with the awkwardness as quickly as possible.

"If she accepts, she thinks it was a date," Jade coached.

"Thanks," said Ana, a smile spreading slowly across her face.

The waitress left to run their payment then, and Kevin couldn't help but smile at the internal celebration Jade and Barry were having.

"So, wanna do this again sometime?" Kevin asked, hoping his luck would hold.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Ana responded with a shy smile.

The waitress returned then, and Kevin pocketed his card and filled out the receipt. The pair left the café, and made the walk back toward the zoo in a comfortable silence. Arriving at the entrance, Ana thanked Kevin again.

"Anytime," he replied.

The brief bite she gave her lip made Kevin want to kiss her right there in front of the guests. Realizing he was staring at her mouth, Kevin looked somewhere- anywhere- else before adding, "I'd better get back to work."

"Me too," Ana replied. "See you around."

As the two parted ways Kevin was filled with a strange kind of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he could do this whole dating thing.


	5. Problems at Home

Kevin mentally kicked himself as he emptied the umpteenth trash can of the day. Running over the events of earlier that day, he still couldn't figure out how he was supposed to have gone about asking for Ana's number.

"Take it easy on yourself, Kev. She said she wanted to do it again. There will be other opportunities," said Barry, hoping to ease the tension.

"Can't you just do it?" Kevin asked of Barry. "You always know what to say to people."

"I'll do it!" volunteered Hedwig excitedly.

"No!" shouted Barry, Kevin, Jade, Orwell, and Dennis, in unison.  
A couple of the guests snapped their heads toward Kevin then, and he realized he had just gotten caught talking to himself out loud in public. He quickly finished loading the cart, and drove off to dispose of the trash before people had a chance to put too much thought into what they just saw.

"Hedwig, you will not, under any circumstances, come out in front of Ana. Do I make myself clear?" Kevin demanded.

"Fine!" Hedwig replied, dejected. "I never get to have any fun."

This was not the end of the conversation, however. Hedwig continued to squabble with the others about never getting to talk to anyone as Kevin went about the rest of his day. Three light bulbs, a flat utility cart tire, and a leaky amphibian tank later, all of the arguing had given him quite a headache. He wanted to go home and just take a nap, but he had no time to waste, as he would have just enough time to wash the day's sweat and grime off before his weekly appointment with Dr. Fletcher this afternoon.

Climbing the last flight of stairs to Dr. Karen Fletcher's home/office, Kevin absently noted that he no longer got winded climbing the tall spiral staircase that led to the top floor of her building. He had Barry to thank for that. Over the last few years, they had developed a routine of shared responsibility, and any cardio they did was all Barry. Dr. Fletcher had encouraged running as a healthy outlet for stress, but Kevin was pretty sure that Barry did it primarily out of vanity. Between that and Dennis's weight lifting, Kevin enjoyed all of the benefits of being in shape without ever needing to break a sweat. Reaching the top floor, Kevin knocked tentatively before being beckoned in by the grandmotherly doctor.

"Come in," Dr. Fletcher called from her seat in the living room arm chair.

"Kevin, how are you today?" she began as Kevin took his seat opposite.

"I'm okay" he responded, though his facial expression indicated otherwise.  
Dr. Fletcher didn't respond immediately, knowing that silence sometimes invited a more honest answer than prying.

"It's just this headache," Kevin continued eventually. "A few of the guys have been arguing."

"What about?" she pressed, gently.

"Hedwig is upset that he doesn't get to talk to anyone… out here," Kevin gestured to the room at large. "We had to get stern with him today. You know how he likes to pop out uncontrollably."

"Did he come out at a bad time?" the doctor inquired.

"No, he just spent the entire day pouting LOUDLY that he wanted to," Kevin responded, as much at Hedwig as to Dr. Fletcher.

"Any particular reason that he wanted out today?" she inquired.

"I had lunch with a co-worker," Kevin said, looking at the floor and blushing.

"Oh?" Dr. Fletcher smiled.

"An… attractive, female co-worker," Kevin stuttered out, wishing the floor would swallow him.

"That's wonderful!" the doctor exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, I kind of had to avoid her the rest of the day. The kid seemed determined to pop out and meet her, and that would be the end of that," Kevin responded, rubbing a hand over his forehead.

"Does he understand why he can't meet her?" she asked.

"No. He fails to see how seeing me suddenly turning into a nine-year-old with a speech impediment would scare her off."

"Kevin, does anyone at work know about your condition?"

"Just my boss. It's listed as a pertinent medical condition in my file."

"Maybe, you could make a deal with Hedwig."

Kevin shifted in his seat, eager to receive pointers on negotiating with terrorists.

"If he were to stay out of the way until you got close enough to someone to tell them about you guys, maybe he could meet them then."

"No," Kevin insisted. "He is not meeting her."

"Well not now of course."

"No," Kevin repeated.

"Kevin, think about this. You need to allow yourself to get close to people. And that, in all likelihood, means that they will meet your alters."

"Not him," Kevin interjected, firmly.

"Why not him?" Dr. Fletcher asked, leaning forward in her chair and grasping her chin.  
Kevin took a deep breath and let it out slowly before responding. "Nobody needs to see that," he said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" she pressed.

"Because I'm a grown man!" Kevin rarely raised his voice, and immediately regretted doing so now.

"Are you embarrassed of Hedwig?" she inquired gently.

"I… I turn into a child. With a lisp. Who…. who…" Kevin trailed off, unable to continue. His mind was replaying all of the disastrous times Hedwig had come out around women. The boy still thought that kissing led to pregnancy, for heaven's sake!

Kevin's breathing was becoming more rapid, and Dr. Fletcher saw that she had pressed enough for today. "It's alright Kevin. Hedwig is a part of you that you needed to stay alive. There's no need to be embarrassed of that. Besides, I've met him, and I certainly don't think any less of you.". Changing the subject before Kevin could rebut her point, she prompted, "Why don't you tell me about this co-worker?"

A small smile began to form then as Kevin began. "Her name's Ana. She's a vet at the zoo. She's… amazing. She has these two foster kids she'd do anything for."

"Oh?" Dr. Fletcher was smiling now.

"She got arrested at work yesterday. She got a call from this kid who stayed with her last month. There was… an altercation with their new foster mom. She drives over to the house, barges in, and takes the kids."

"Kidnapping?" Dr. Fletcher interrupted, amused.

"Breaking and entering," Kevin corrected. "I think the lady was afraid to press charges that had anything to do with the kids. They were in pretty bad shape."

Dr. Fletcher knew that hearing about children being abused was sure to have brought up painful memories for Kevin. "And how were you, hearing about that?" she asked.

"I stayed present for the whole conversation," he said, and Dr. Fletcher could hear the 'at least there's that' in his tone. "I kind of overheard the gist of it earlier this morning," he admitted.

"This is excellent progress, Kevin," she said, encouraging. "I'm so happy you're getting out there and interacting with people."

Kevin smiled, bashful.

"On the subject of Hedwig," she began, thinking he was calm enough now to bring it back up. "I think it's important that you make him feel appreciated. Getting him to cooperate will be a lot easier if he feels like you're on the same side. I'm going to assign you some homework for this week. I want you to spend some time with Hedwig. Explain to him why you need him to stay in at certain times. The two of you need to work together. He's not likely to be very cooperative if he feels like you're restraining him."

"I'll do my best, doctor," he conceded.

"Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today," she said, standing from her chair.

"Thanks Dr. Fletcher," he said, standing to leave.

"Goodbye Kevin," she said as he made his way toward the door.

"See you next week, Dr. Fletcher."

* * *

Arriving home after work, Ana dismissed the babysitter, with whom she was still quite unhappy after the irritation the younger woman had caused that morning. Ana headed upstairs, knocking briefly before poking her head in the door to the boys' room.

"Can I come in?" she asked when Simon looked up.  
He responded with a nod, and Ana walked in and sat on Dustin's unoccupied bed.

"How ya feelin' kiddo?" she began.

With a frown, Simon shook his head, still not ready to communicate verbally.

"Ya hungry?" she questioned, receiving a head shake in return. "Wanna come downstairs and watch a movie with me?" asked Ana.

Simon perked up at this, and swung his feet over the side of the bed. Ana then wondered what the babysitter had been doing all day, but knew she wouldn't get an answer out of Simon in his current state.

Heading downstairs, Ana pulled up Netflix on the living room television, and let Simon choose the movie. Ana had zero desire to watch the newest Power Rangers movie, and felt just a little bit guilty ten minutes in when she pulled out her phone. After shooting a quick text to Dustin asking when he'd be home, she messaged Evelyn, hoping her younger sister was free to chat for a while. "You busy?" asked Ana.

Evelyn must have already been playing with her phone, because the response came in just seconds. "Not really. Sup?"

"Power Rangers," Ana replied.

"I'm sorry," was Evelyn's response. "So, do you still have a job?"

"Barely, but my co-worker is super pissed. She got called off her vacation to fill in for me. Then I showed up," Ana typed.

"Oops," Evelyn replied. "So, dreadful day."

"Not entirely…" Ana teased.

"Oh?" Evelyn inquired.

"You remember Cute Maintenance Guy?" asked Ana, alluding to a previous, drunken conversation about the hotness of the men in their respective lives.

"Ooh. Do tell."

"Well, we sort of went out to lunch together."

"Wait, like alone, or with other people?"

"Just us," Ana replied, adding a smiley face emoji.

"So, was it a date?"

"I don't know," Ana replied.

"Who paid?" Evelyn responded, bluntly.

"He did." Ana blushed.

"OMG it was totally a date!" Evelyn exclaimed. "So how was it?"

"It was nice. I hope he thought so too. He was kind of quiet, though. I probably talked his ear off."

"Well, don't do that!" her little sister replied, mostly jokingly. "Any plans to do it again?"

"Tentative, open-ended ones," Ana answered.

Ana heard the door open and realized she had forgotten to further nag Dustin about when he would be home. The older boy dropped his book bag next to the breakfast table, where he usually did his homework, before following the sound of the TV into the living room. Seeing that it was Power Rangers, for which he considered himself too old, Dustin ruffled Simon's hair before heading up to their room. Ana stood up to follow him, leaving Simon to his movie. She had barely gotten three sentences out of Dustin since taking him home from the hospital, and though Simon was considerably worse off physically, she knew the older brother was shaken from the incident as well.

Poking her head into his room, Ana was unsure how to begin. "Home a bit late, aren't we?" she said, careful to keep her tone casual. If she was going to get any information out of him, she couldn't afford to make him feel attacked.

"Yeah," was his terse reply.

"So… What was the hold up?"

"Detention," he said matter-of-factly.

"What for?" Ana inquired, struggling to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Got in a fight," he said.

"Why?" This was answered with a shoulder shrug, combined with Dustin refusing to look at her. "How did it start?" she pressed.

"Eric shoved me out of line in the cafeteria."

"And?"

"I hit him," he said, and Ana thought she detected a hint of remorse.

"Then what happened?"

"We fought. I won." To his credit, he kept the pride out of his voice.  
Not seeing any new bruises on Dustin, Ana presumed that 'won' was an understatement.

"Kiddo," she began, her concerned parent voice making an appearance. "You can't hit people just because they do something rude."

"I know. I'm sorry," he said, and Ana wasn't sure if he meant it, or if he was simply well-versed in how to avoid punishment.

"I should probably take your phone or something…" Ana began, but was interrupted.

"No!" Dustin shouted, disproportionately panicked about the idea.

"It's not an appendage. I promise you won't die," Ana rebutted, holding out her palm.

"Okay, okay," Dustin stalled. "Just let me tell people so they don't think I'm blowing them off. Five minutes?" he begged.

"Okay, but after that no phone for a week. Evelyn or I will pick you up from school, so you won't need it to find a ride."

She stepped out of the room then, leaving the boy to notify his friends that he would be phone-less for the next week. As she headed downstairs to start dinner, Ana checked her phone for new messages from her sister. The most recent message read:  
"Make it soon. You have to let them know you're interested."

Ana smiled at this, but there was a more urgent matter she wanted to discuss with her sister. "Think Mom knows yet?" she asked, referring to her arrest the previous day.

"I haven't said a word, but you know it's just a matter of time," said Evelyn.

"I know. I know. I'll tell her," Ana replied. Ana and Evelyn's mother was an attorney, and although she did not spend much time in actual courtrooms, she knew everyone who worked in the courthouse, from the judges to the bailiffs.

"Well hurry up. You know how fast news travels," Evelyn cautioned.  
Dustin came downstairs then, handing Ana his phone before joining his brother in the living room. Ana pocketed his phone along with her own, freeing up both hands and focusing on making dinner.

* * *

After Kevin's appointment with Dr. Fletcher, Dennis spent the rest of the evening at the gym. He was the biggest; strongest; and, apart from the occasional online indulgence of his darker proclivities; most disciplined of the alters sharing Kevin's body. Though Dennis originally emerged to help Kevin avoid his mother's attention, he soon became his protector in other ways.

It began when Kevin started school. Bullies loved picking on the quiet kid who talked with a lisp. Though Hedwig's speech was the only remainder of that particular effect of his mother's abuse, Kevin and company had spent several of their early years struggling with a speech impediment. Dennis had to learn quickly how to protect Kevin from the bigger kids who would hurt him simply for being different, and he rarely lost a fight. Kevin's physical safety had become his responsibility, and the weight of this burden had not always been easy to carry.

Patrica had always been sympathetic to Dennis, perhaps favoring him above the other alters. As Dennis lifted the barbell, she brought him news which she was sure would solve all of their problems.

"Dennis, I have seen him. The Beast. He can protect us. You won't have to be the strongest anymore. Come to the train station with me. You'll see."

Dennis was intrigued by the idea of a protector better-suited than he, but Patricia was speaking about this Beast as if she had seen the face of God. "You know that isn't what Kevin wants. An alter who isn't human? Patricia, the guy's embarrassed enough of Hedwig," Dennis responded, having been the first alter to master thinking to the other alters when he was in the light instead of actually talking to them.

"He must emerge!" she raved. "The impure, the unbroken, those who would mock us will beg for mercy as he devours them."

"Patricia, that's disgusting." The idea of sharing a mouth with a cannibal made Dennis feel a strong urge to brush his teeth repeatedly. "You should go back to your chair. If Barry hears you talking like this you'll never see the light again."

"The fool!" Patricia ranted. "…thinks he can keep Kevin safe by playing nice with everyone he meets. One day it's going to catch up with him and you'll be the one to have to deal with the consequences." Patricia retreated to her chair then, and Dennis was left to finish his workout in peace.


End file.
